" Grandfather clock " is a meet name for an object that ’s often treated as a family heirloom . But even though it carry the hoop of heritage and tradition , the term itself is rather untried . In fact , it ’s more than two century newer than the horologe it designates .
When these vertically talented clocks were first invented more than 350 year ago , people actually call them " longcase clock , " a moniker that ’s still used in some circle ( even though it ’s less catchy ) . So how did the term grandfather clock come about ? Before we take on that question , let ’s look at the historical context .
Clock - making as a discipline look at a Brobdingnagian spring forward in the seventeenth century . pass uponGalileo Galilei ’s research , the Dutch astronomerChristiaan Huygensbuilt the very firstpendulum - driven clockat some stage around the year 1657 . By far , it was the most accurate horologe the mankind had ever see — and it changed an entire industry overnight .
So - call up pendulum clocks quickly swept through westerly Europe . Mechanics there could n’t help but tinker with Huygens ' brainchild . Thus , the longcase clock was born . conceive in London , these originally hit the securities industry in about 1660 . Most early models stood around 6 foot marvelous . Their midsections consisted of wooden shell that housed the ever - important pendulums . Over prison term , clockmaker started installing long pendulum , which involve longer casing in twist , hence the phrase " longcase clock . "
Today , we might still be using that mundane term if it had n’t been for a songwriter who ’s been nickname " America ’s war poet . "
Born in Middletown , Connecticut , on Oct. 1 , 1832,Henry Clay Workwas a self - taught musician and lyricist . He first made a name for himself during America ’s Civil War . Throughout the difference , Work ’s writings championed the Northern cause . " Kingdom Coming , " Work ’s 1862 pro - Union ballad , earned him a contract bridge with the Root & Cady music - release firm . For the next nine years , he produced numerous hits for the company .
unluckily , the postwar years were not kind to Work . Two of his children died in the 1870s and a bad business venture left him financially abashed . Nevertheless , he keep on writing .
One of his late offer was titled " Grandfather ’s Clock . " accord to his nephew Bertram , Henry Clay Work spent four old age compose this piece , which Root & Cady published in 1876 . The ditty tells the tale of a grandfather who get a firebrand - new longcase clock on the day of his birth . A life later , the piece and his timepiece come in the nifty beyond together . " My grandfather ’s clock was too large for the ledge , so it stood ninety years on the level , " register the opening verse . " It was corrupt on the morning of the day he was born and was always his treasure and pride . But it stopped short , never to go again , when the old man died . "
Work ’s last mega - hit,“Grandfather ’s Clock"emerged as an instant classic — and an enduring one . Selling more than800,000 copies , the Sung dynasty made its author $ 4,000 richer . In tardy decades , it was cover by Johnny Cash , spoofed on " A Prairie Home Companion " and even remixed for the soundtrack of the indie video secret plan " Five Nights at Freddy ’s 2 " . On top of all that , The Oxford English Dictionary credits this song with popularizing the term " grandad clock . "
And so , Work ’s song inspire a unexampled byname for a 100 - old horologe . But what was it that inspired the song itself ? Two theories are out there . The George Hotel of Piercebridge in North Yorkshire , England , claims that " Grandfather ’s Clock " was conceived right in its lobby . oeuvre once stayed there while travel through the U.K. in 1874 . After checking in , it ’s said that he spot a handsome longcase clock in the hotel ’s lobby . The deal seemed to be jammed , frozen in place at the 11:05 mark . Upon ask a staff member about this broken clock , he was tell that it belonged to the former Jenkins brother , who ’d once owned the hotel . Their clock , Work learn , was purchased on the day the older sibling was born . Supposedly , it was the most reliable timekeeper a someone could ask for . But when one brother died , the clock slowed down . Then years later , when death charter the other sibling , its final " tick " rang out . According to caption , it ’s been silent ever since .
Alas , this floor is probably just a piece of local folklore . Even so , the George Hotel of Piercebridge cites it as the inspiration behind " Grandfather ’s Clock . " The hotel ’s website even have an intact pageboy to that old clock , which is still on display in the foyer .
Then again , one Massachusetts kinsperson offer a different account . The relatives of Work ’s wife , Sarah Parker , consider thattheypossess the clock that begat this iconic song . To hear the Parkers tell it , the songwriter took his cues from an old longcase formerly owned by Sarah ’s grandfather . All these years later , this wooden clock still belongs to the Parkers — and no , it does n’t work either .
